1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The date is summer of 1918. The play goes on from a Saturday morning to Monday. The play takes place in a city by the sea in South Carolina. We have a small community of black people and Herman (a white man involved with a black woman living in the community) and his mother and sister who do not approve. Julia is Herman’s love interest. Fanny is Julia’s landlady and Mattie, Lula, Nelson, and the kids are some of the rest of the people in the community.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students. The intrusion would be when Herman collapses from the flu. From this point on, the reader is worried about his fate and whether or not he will make it through and if he and Julia can be together in peace. At the end of the play, we find out this is not true and he dies and leaves Julia, ending their ten year love affair.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? The unique factor would be that we are in a black community where a white man has an ten year love affair with a black women, which in the year this story takes place (1918), this kind of relationship between two people of different colors is extremely frowned upon and could even be punished.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) I think the main question the reader wants to know by the end of the play is “Do Julia and Herman get to live out their lives together?” We find out that this is not true because he dies of the influenza, leaving Julia by the end of the play. I think we also want to know is Annabelle and Herman’s mother have a change of heart and start to understand and accept Julia and Herman’s relationship. At the end of the play when Annabelle tries to see her brother with her mother, we see she is trying to be kind to Julia. Earlier when Julia was singing she cut her off saying she didn’t want to hear that “noise” but when Julia is talking to Herman on his death bed, she leans in to hear Julia and we can see she starts to understand their passionate love.
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play. In the play, we can clearly see that all Julia wants is to be with Herman and be able to marry him and love him peacefully. This changes when Herman’s mother comes and yells at Julia. Julia doesn’t want to put up with his mother and realizes Herman can’t choose between his family and her. This would be an obstacle she faces against other individuals. She also struggles with the laws of society and how she and Herman are not even able to be married or able to live out their lives together peacefully. This would be an obstacle against society. She also mentions that she never felt she could tell Herman her true thoughts on how his people killed her people through slavery. This was an obstacle she had against herself because on one hand, she was in love with Herman, but on the other she had to face the truth that he descended from the people that killed her people. Though, he tries to defend himself saying he, personally, never enslaved anyone or killed any of her people.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band. One of the most theatrical moments would be when Herman’s mother, Annabelle, and Herman are in the room together while Herman is sick and Herman is trying to make his mother understand his love for Julia. His mother gets so mad she practically chokes him. Another dramatic moment would be earlier in the play when Herman collapses during Lula’s service and we are instantly concerned for his health and if he will make it through.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) One image would be the sight of the houses. We see that Julia’s house is much nicer and therefore tells us that she is probably better off and at a higher level in the caste system of society. Another image would be the wedding band that Herman gifts to Julia. This signifies his everlasting love for Julia and his intent to marry her, even if they are not allowed to by law or even though he had not mentioned it in the play at that point. A final image would be Nelson’s uniform. We can see that this signifies that even though whites and blacks do not get along, in a time a war, necessary measures are taken and we can see that they welcomed colored men to fight. It also shows Nelson’s incredible determination to fight to gain freedom.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band. Racism is the most obvious theme of this play. It is clear that blacks and whites did not get along during this time period and there was so much separation and hostility. I also think love and family are large themes. As we see during the play, family does not always have to be blood-bound and sometimes is it your best friends that help you through the toughest times.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think? At the end of the play, Julia gives the tickets to Mattie for her and her daughter to get out of the south and live a better life in the north. While doing this, she repeats that they are family. This is not a family by blood, but a family by friendship. Their bond is so strong and so intense that Julia forsook her own chance to leave and get out for the happiness of Mattie and her daughter. It shows how family does not always have to be blood-bound. We also see this with Nelson and Lula. Even though he is technically her adopted son, she would do anything to save him, including getting down on her hands and knees and begging the lawmen to let her son go and not kill him. We also see a disgruntled family between Herman, his sister and his mother. His mother never had love and never understood it and can’t understand how Herman loves Julia. She also doesn’t understand how her daughter Annabelle could love a sailor. This causes great issues between the family.
The date is summer of 1918. The play goes on from a Saturday morning to Monday. The play takes place in a city by the sea in South Carolina. We have a small community of black people and Herman (a white man involved with a black woman living in the community) and his mother and sister who do not approve. Julia is Herman’s love interest. Fanny is Julia’s landlady and Mattie, Lula, Nelson, and the kids are some of the rest of the people in the community.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion would be when Herman collapses from the flu. From this point on, the reader is worried about his fate and whether or not he will make it through and if he and Julia can be together in peace. At the end of the play, we find out this is not true and he dies and leaves Julia, ending their ten year love affair.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor would be that we are in a black community where a white man has an ten year love affair with a black women, which in the year this story takes place (1918), this kind of relationship between two people of different colors is extremely frowned upon and could even be punished.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
I think the main question the reader wants to know by the end of the play is “Do Julia and Herman get to live out their lives together?” We find out that this is not true because he dies of the influenza, leaving Julia by the end of the play. I think we also want to know is Annabelle and Herman’s mother have a change of heart and start to understand and accept Julia and Herman’s relationship. At the end of the play when Annabelle tries to see her brother with her mother, we see she is trying to be kind to Julia. Earlier when Julia was singing she cut her off saying she didn’t want to hear that “noise” but when Julia is talking to Herman on his death bed, she leans in to hear Julia and we can see she starts to understand their passionate love.
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
In the play, we can clearly see that all Julia wants is to be with Herman and be able to marry him and love him peacefully. This changes when Herman’s mother comes and yells at Julia. Julia doesn’t want to put up with his mother and realizes Herman can’t choose between his family and her. This would be an obstacle she faces against other individuals. She also struggles with the laws of society and how she and Herman are not even able to be married or able to live out their lives together peacefully. This would be an obstacle against society. She also mentions that she never felt she could tell Herman her true thoughts on how his people killed her people through slavery. This was an obstacle she had against herself because on one hand, she was in love with Herman, but on the other she had to face the truth that he descended from the people that killed her people. Though, he tries to defend himself saying he, personally, never enslaved anyone or killed any of her people.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
One of the most theatrical moments would be when Herman’s mother, Annabelle, and Herman are in the room together while Herman is sick and Herman is trying to make his mother understand his love for Julia. His mother gets so mad she practically chokes him. Another dramatic moment would be earlier in the play when Herman collapses during Lula’s service and we are instantly concerned for his health and if he will make it through.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
One image would be the sight of the houses. We see that Julia’s house is much nicer and therefore tells us that she is probably better off and at a higher level in the caste system of society. Another image would be the wedding band that Herman gifts to Julia. This signifies his everlasting love for Julia and his intent to marry her, even if they are not allowed to by law or even though he had not mentioned it in the play at that point. A final image would be Nelson’s uniform. We can see that this signifies that even though whites and blacks do not get along, in a time a war, necessary measures are taken and we can see that they welcomed colored men to fight. It also shows Nelson’s incredible determination to fight to gain freedom.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
Racism is the most obvious theme of this play. It is clear that blacks and whites did not get along during this time period and there was so much separation and hostility. I also think love and family are large themes. As we see during the play, family does not always have to be blood-bound and sometimes is it your best friends that help you through the toughest times.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
At the end of the play, Julia gives the tickets to Mattie for her and her daughter to get out of the south and live a better life in the north. While doing this, she repeats that they are family. This is not a family by blood, but a family by friendship. Their bond is so strong and so intense that Julia forsook her own chance to leave and get out for the happiness of Mattie and her daughter. It shows how family does not always have to be blood-bound. We also see this with Nelson and Lula. Even though he is technically her adopted son, she would do anything to save him, including getting down on her hands and knees and begging the lawmen to let her son go and not kill him. We also see a disgruntled family between Herman, his sister and his mother. His mother never had love and never understood it and can’t understand how Herman loves Julia. She also doesn’t understand how her daughter Annabelle could love a sailor. This causes great issues between the family.